


I wasn't fishing for you (but somehow I caught you anyway)

by Sylphid



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: A pining fish is a healthy fish, Also he's oblivious but adorable, Fluff, M/M, Sidon has no idea what "fishing" is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 13:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10572093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylphid/pseuds/Sylphid
Summary: When Sidon spots a boy with a curious looking stick with string attached to it, he's intrigued. Naturally, the correct course of action is to learn how to "fish" so that he doesn't just swoon every time they meet.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hook, line, sink with me in this hellish ocean of love that Sidon and Link will forever be swimming in~

Their first meeting is on the banks of the Zora River, near the Inogo Bridge.

Sidon reckons he hasn’t seen a Hylian in a long time, and so when he spots one wielding a stick and some string on the shore, he can’t help but let the current propel him towards the boy.

“Hello!” he calls out cheerily, waving a hand and flashing a toothy grin.

There’s no response, not even a tilt of the head. The boy remains totally focused on his task. But Sidon isn’t put off--if anything, he’s even more intrigued by the Hylian and his curious twig. He swims closer; swiftly, quietly. When he finally reaches the waterfront, he stops and stares once again.

The boy’s tongue is sticking out, and his brows are furrowed, and he looks as though he wants to pick a fight with the water itself. Sidon knows better than to disturb someone with that face--the same face Muzu wears when he’s ranting about how _“those damn Hylians”_ ruin everything.

But he refuses to turn away.

Eventually, there’s a violent splash at the surface of the water, and the boy springs into action. He pulls his stick up with surprising force, his body uncurling from its previously bent state in the same manner as the branch he holds. Sidon thought he looked rather inflexible at first, sitting over the water with a stone gaze and a steel back. But as he whips his body back, he seems to be more like the water itself; fluid, forceful, and infallible. 

His tongue is still sticking out. And it might be a little bit cute, but that’s ridiculous, because this boy is Hylian and Sidon is not.

In any case, Sidon’s a bit confused when the line attached to this boy’s rod comes up with nothing but air and a metal hook.

“Damn,” the boy mutters under his breath.

Sidon swims closer, eventually stopping in front of the boy. “What are you doing?”

The boy grunts his response.

_Quite the social butterfly, this one._

“I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that,” Sidon apologizes, smiling. He’s always smiling, even when he’s with new people.

“I said, I’m _fishing_ ,” he replies with a click of his tongue. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You look like you’re playing a game with a stick and some string,” Sidon responds. “And doing quite poorly, judging from your reactions.”’

“Did I ask?” he grunts, putting a worm onto the hook. 

Sidon hums, despite the sass he’s received. He supposes it’s only fair, since he just teased the boy himself. “Blueshell snails,” he mutters.

The boy turns back to Sidon. “What was that?”

“You should use blueshell snails as bait,” Sidon explains. “Far more fish here will go after those than those worms you keep using.”

He pauses, staring at the grub on his hook. Finally, he sighs, tucking a strand of his long hair behind his ear before he takes the worm off the hook. “I suppose it’s worth a try. I haven’t caught anything all day.”

Sidon claps his hands together. “Excellent! I’m not completely sure of the mechanics of your ‘fishing stick,’ but I’m sure this will help!”

“Fishing _rod_ ,” the boy corrects. “You’re telling me you’ve never seen anyone fish before?”

“Fish?” Sidon asks with a slight tilt of his head. “For sport?”

“For _food_.” He casts his line into the water, the hooked snail landing with a plop. “And fun.”

Sidon frowns. “I hope you’re not just surviving off of fish. If that’s the case, you must go hungry quite a bit.”

The boy visibly bristles.

_Oops. Too frank._

“Sorry, that might’ve come on a bit strong,” Sidon mutters with a nervous chuckle, his hand shooting to the back of his head. “I--”

“Shush,” he scolds, sparing one hand to hold in front of Sidon’s face. “You’re gonna scare them all away.”

Sidon shuts his mouth.

He ends up sitting on the grassy shore next to the boy, watching the ripples on the surface of the sun-dappled river. With so much time passing by, he very nearly falls asleep against the other, but pride and humility keep him from succumbing.

Eventually, the boy brings his rod up with all the fury that he had previously. But to the boy’s chagrin and his own, Sidon sees nothing at the end of the line. 

“Come on!” the boy yells at the water, raising his arms up.

There’s a frown that creeps onto Sidon’s face, as quiet as the water that’s been lapping at the banks of the river this entire time.

_All he wants is fish, right?_

“I’ll be right back,” Sidon declares, diving into the water. It’s easy to spot them from below the surface, paddling about without a care. And grabbing them isn’t difficult either. After nabbing just a few, Sidon resurfaces, waving to the boy at the shore.

He seems unimpressed.

Sidon swims back nonetheless, finding himself unable to stay away from this boy. “I got you some fish!”

He sighs. “That kinda defeats the purpose of fishing, doesn’t it?”

Sidon tilts his head. “But I _did_ fish. I went into the river and got them myself!”

“Without a rod,” he adds, shaking his head. “Look, I appreciate it, but I’m really just gonna try to catch some fish on my own.”

“But you said this is food for you?” Sidon mumbles, holding out a fish in front of him. “Won’t you starve without it?”

It takes a moment for it to register with him, but the suddenly the boy is caught in a fit of laughter, and it takes even more moments for him to finally calm down. “I won’t _starve_. Sure, I’ll eat some of the fish I catch, but it isn’t my only food source. That’d be ridiculous.” He breathes out, smiling for perhaps the first time.

Sidon prays that the boy can’t hear the violent pounding of his heart.

“I appreciate the offer, but you can keep them. Fish tastes better when you get it yourself, anyway.”

When he finally gets his heart rate back down, Sidon returns the boy’s smile. “Suit yourself. What is your name, Hylian?”

The boy chuckles. “Shouldn’t you give me yours first?”

This time, Sidon’s heart simply stops beating.

“Oh my word, how could I have been so rude?!” he cries out, slapping himself in the face. “I am Prince Sidon of the Zora,” he says with a bow.

The boy pales. “Ah… Y-Your majesty…”

Sidon quickly waves his arms in front of himself. “No, no, no, you don’t have to refer to me in such a manner! Please, call me Sidon!”

He smiles. “Sidon. You can call me Link.”

_Link._

_It’s a nice name._

* * *

The next time Sidon and Link see each other, it’s beneath sheets of rain and gale force winds.

Even when the rain comes down in torrents, Sidon is unhindered in his river fording ability. He’s quite proud of it, in fact. And so, during one of his leisurely swims along the Zora River, he is thoroughly surprised to find Link still fishing along the banks.

“Link!” he yells out, hoping his voice carries through the rain.

It apparently does, as Link lifts his head and gives a slight nod to Sidon. With very little effort, Sidon makes his way to the soaked boy.

“Do you enjoy showing off your rippling muscles during storms such as these?” Link teases, not taking his eyes off his line in the water.

The paleness of Sidon’s cheeks soon takes on the same crimson tinge as most of the rest of his body. “D-Do you enjoy showing off your fishing skills in this weather?”

Link hums. “Storms, or at least warm fronts, are _great_ for fishing. Nutritional runoff brings the fish to the surface, and then they’re ripe for the picking.” As if on cue, he flings up his rod, bringing up a chillfin trout with it. “See?”

“I still don’t understand why you use the rod, though,” Sidon mutters, scratching at his chin. “Is it not easier to just go in and get the fish yourself?”

“Some of us aren’t as suited for the water as you are, Sidon.”

Sidon closes my eyes and gives an awkward bow. “Forgive my tactlessness.”

Link waves his hand. “Don’t bow to me, silly.”

“If I can’t bow to you, then you can’t bow to me,” Sidon harrumphs, crossing his arms. “It’s only fair.”

“Now, I think they’re slightly different--”

“No!” Sidon interrupts, loud enough that the thunder around them doesn’t seem so intrusive. “No,” he repeats, softer. “Don’t just treat me like I’m royalty, all right?”

Link’s eyes widen a bit, before he lets them settle into a half-lidded state. “Fine.” He pats the ground next to him. “Sit down for a bit.”

Sidon obeys.

“One thing I know for sure is that _no_ member of royalty has _ever_ known how to fish.” He places the rod in Sidon’s lap. “You’re gonna be the first.”

“Didn’t we just talk about how I don’t have to use your stick…?”

Link shakes his head. “Even if you’re a Zora, there are still things that can outswim you. That’s why you should learn how to use the rod. Fish won’t swim to you if you’re holding bait in your hands.”

“I see…” Sidon mutters. “So, you think I’m slow?”

“Not necessarily,” Link counters. “Just not as fast as some of the stuff in the water.”

Sidon smirks. “Well, why don’t you hop on my back? I’ll show you how fast I can swim, even in these torrents.”

The coral hue that bursts into bloom on Link’s face is certainly unexpected, but Sidon can’t say he doesn’t appreciate it. “N-Now, that won’t be necessary. I’m sure you’re p-plenty fast.”

_That’s adorable._

“Alright then, Mr. Fishing Rod Master. Show me how it’s done.”

Link smirks, standing up and getting behind Sidon, who instantly tenses. “Alright, take the rod with your dominant hand above the weaker one.” He reaches over Sidon’s shoulders to help position his hands, and Sidon can’t say that he hates the contact that results.

“A-And then what?” Sidon stammers, not wanting Link to move, but also not willing to outright burst into flames.

“Bend backward, bringing the rod with you,” he chuckles, pulling Sidon backwards a little. “And when you feel sufficiently wound, fling forward!” With a slight shove, Sidon shoots up, perhaps out of sheer embarrassment from being touched, and perhaps from the excitement of learning how to fish.

He doesn’t let Link know it’s definitely, _definitely_ the former.

The hook sails in the wind, landing in the water ever so satisfyingly. “That was an awesome first cast, Sidon!”

Sidon turns to Link and smiles, his teeth blinding, reflecting the glimmer of lightning off in the distance. “Really?” he asks with gleaming eyes.

Link nods. “But, we should probably put the bait on first next time.”

Sidon’s smile fades, and quickly morphs into a frown. “So I have to do it again?”

“Yep.”

Sidon sighs. _Although, if I have to cast the line in again, maybe he’ll help out._ “Alright. But can you guide me again? I doubt I’ll be able to do it on my own.”

“That’s fine,” Link says, his lips still upturned. “Just let me know if you’re uncomfortable.”

_God, if only you knew._

“N-Not at all,” Sidon stammers, his voice betraying his thoughts. 

The rain is still pounding into them, and Link’s clothes are wetter than the river at this point, and some of his muscles are becoming even more impressive pressed against the wet fabric, and Sidon thinks he might swoon himself into submission. And despite the chilled air, Sidon’s blood is coursing through his cheeks, keeping him warm. Even Sidon knows he’s got it bad, and he’s usually a bit slow with these things.

The movements they go through are the same, although if Sidon doesn’t know any better, he thinks Link might be holding onto him a little bit tighter.

But that’s ridiculous.

Why would a Hylian ever want to hold onto a Zora?

* * *

“Ah, Link! It is good to see you, friend!”

Link grunts, not bothering to tear his eyes from the water. 

“‘ _It’s good to see you too, Sidon!_ ’” Sidon chirps behind his hand, although he can’t help the giggles that follow his impression.

“My voice is _not_ that high,” Link finally says, turning to Sidon to frown. “And it’s not like I came here fishing for _you_ , Sidon.”

Sidon hums, closing his eyes. “Mm, but you appreciate my company. Of that, I am sure.”

“Perhaps,” Link responds. “Although I always seem to end up short on fish whenever you’re around. You’re proving to be _quite_ the distraction.”

He swings his rod up, revealing a fish on the end of the line. Its scales glisten and glimmer, their iridescence shining under the warm sun.

“You seem to do fine, even with me being _so_ distracting,” Sidon points out, nodding to the fish. “Plus, I’m a fish too! Why catch all those other fish when you’ve got one that keeps showing up willingly?”

“Are you suggesting I take you home with me?” Link says, almost too innocently.

Sidon’s a bit tired of the blush he takes on around Link.

“N-Not suggesting that, no,” Sidon assures Link with frantic and sweaty palms.

“Oh.”

_Is he… disappointed?_

_No._

_He couldn’t be._

“But!” Sidon nearly yells, desperate to interrupt the silence. “I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing your home some time.”

Link chuckles. “It’s nothing much. A makeshift little shack, complete with a bed and outdoor plumbing.”

“Sounds lonely,” Sidon says, frowning.

“It can be, at times,” Link agrees, staring down at the water. “But that’s alright. I chose to go live in the middle of nowhere, so I suppose I only have myself to blame.”

If sadness were tangible, Sidon would describe it as the wind that whips at you right after leaving the water. If it were visible, he would describe it as Link at this very moment.

He kicks his foot at the grass, tilting his head a little. “You know, we’re always looking to expand our domain. I’m sure we could find a nicer place for you to live.” He pauses to reconsider his words. “Not that there’s anything wrong with where you live now! But… if you wanted… you could live around more people, you know?”

Link lowers his fishing rod just a little.

Slowly, as slowly as the movement of water at the end of a stream, Link smiles. And Sidon can’t help the immediate echo his own lips portray.

“I’ll definitely consider it,” Link declares. Sidon believes him.

He hopes that he would’ve invited someone to the domain even if they weren’t as beautiful and kind and amazing as Link. After all, the words Link used to describe his living space were less than encouraging.

“Well, don’t go giving me false hope. Put some serious thought into it, alright?”

“Jeez, Sidon. You aren’t my mother,” Link teases, lifting his rod back up, ever so slightly. It gives Sidon real hope.

“Someone has to take care of you,” Sidon says, smirking. “ _Especially_ since you don’t catch too many fish.”

“That was just one day!” Link complains, pouting at Sidon. Sidon’s heart flips.

_Why is he so beautiful even when he pouts?!_

Sidon hopes he isn’t blushing when he talks again. He smooths out his neckerchief to feign any semblance of coolheadedness. “I don’t know… I feel like your line comes up empty more often than it comes up with a fish on it.”

“Ouch,” Link says with a laugh. “Who knew you had such a sharp tongue, Sidon. You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Sidon crosses his arms. “Coincidentally, I _hug_ my mother, and my mother _kisses_ me. Father would be upset with me if it were the other way around.”

Link laughs again, that golden laugh that Sidon discovered was just one more color that made Link so beautiful. He thinks of the ocean in his eyes, wondering when he got so lost in their azure. He thinks of Link’s determination, the bursts of orange that he exudes with every confident cast of his rod.

Is it too romantic for him to want to be the red in Link’s life?

“Do you want to try fishing again?” Link asks, shaking Sidon from his perceived delusions.

Sidon smiles. “Last time didn’t end up going so well.”

“Huh, and you have the _gall_ to critique _my_ fishing skills,” Link mutters, shaking his head. “Get over here, you dolt,” he finishes with some mixture of a huff and a laugh. Sidon, of course, complies.

“I just can’t get the technique down,” Sidon chuckles, walking over. “If you aren’t the one moving my arms, the hook won’t go anywhere _near_ the water.”

“And _I_ keep telling you, it’s all in the back movement. You should feel your spine uncurling,” Link notes, running his hand from Sidon’s lower back to his neck. Sidon, meanwhile, is running out of ways to explain his red face. “But you have to keep your chest tight as well. Center your weight and power in your solar plexus.” He taps Sidon’s chest with a light finger, twice. “Right here.”

Sidon gulps.

“Trust me, the hardest part about fishing is the waiting part. You need incredible patience to be able to catch the biggest and baddest in the pond.”

_Right. The hardest part definitely isn’t hiding your feelings from Hylians that teach you how to fish._

With Link at his back, Sidon casts the line into the river. He was rather confident that he’d succeed even without Link’s guidance at this point, but Link doesn’t need to know that.

“Right. Waiting kinda stinks,” Sidon agrees mindlessly. Which, he supposes it does. But he gets the feeling that Link is talking about waiting for non-Zora fish and not him. It kind of bums him out.

There’s a stillness that washes over them while they wait.

_I’m quickly growing tired of waiting._

Sidon steals a glance at Link, who’s smiling at the water.

_I’ll tell him._

_Soon._

* * *

Soon, Sidon has decided, is a very flexible term.

It’s not that he doesn’t _want_ to tell Link about the very subtle feelings that he’s developed over the course of their fishing lessons--of course he wants to tell him. But it’s complicated. When he thinks too long and hard about how he’ll tell Link, the idea begins to make less and less sense entirely. It’s like when he stares at a word for too long, which, after a time, starts to look less and less like a real word.

Simply put, he’s exhausted.

But he continues to entertain the notion that maybe, just maybe, Link might feel something towards him as well. Today, he’s decided to agonize over that idea on the shore of the Zora River, near the Inogo Bridge.

“Sidon!”

Link’s cheery greeting reaches him softly, a sigh on the breeze that tickles the lush grasses along the river. It brings a smile to Sidon’s lips.

“Link, have you come to partake in an afternoon fishing session?” Sidon inquires, not dropping the smile from his face.

“Why yes, _your highness_ ,” Link answers with a curtsy and a smirk.

“Liiiink,” Sidon whines, quickly getting rid of the smile he was wearing just moments ago. “I told you not to refer to me like that.”

Link shrugs. “It was moreso political before. Now I’m just teasing you,” he finishes with a wink.

A wink that makes Sidon’s heart beat faster and sets his fins on edge.

_God, why’d I have to fall in love with such a jerk?_

“Just get over here and catch some fish,” Sidon grumbles, a sharp turn from his usual cheeriness. He hopes he didn’t sound desperate just then.

“Jeez, so testy over ‘ _a game with a stick and some string_ ,’” Link muses, his eyes closing just a little. “Something on your mind?”

_You. All the time._

_It’s a problem._

“No, no, nothing at all,” Sidon mutters, waving his hand.

“Ah, good. I’d be worried if you were using your brain,” Link jokes.

“Hey!”

Link plops onto the ground next to Sidon, his fishing rod right next to him. “In all seriousness though, is everything alright?”

Sidon takes a few seconds to respond which is more than enough of an answer for Link.

“Sidon, don’t make me coax it out of you.”

“Mm, and how do you plan on doing that,” Sidon asks, genuinely intrigued. “Pushing the fish into the water?”

Link strokes his chin, narrowing his eyes. “That’d be too easy. Does your dorsal fin happen to be ticklish?” he asks as he runs a finger down the edge of it, although the yelp that Sidon lets out is a bit telling. “Well, we might’ve just found my coaxing method.”

“Don’t even _think_ about it,” Sidon threatens through giggles.

“Wow, that was really imposing.”

“Well, I’m not gonna threaten you,” Sidon reasons. “Why would I threaten someone I--” he starts, but a knot in his throat stops him from continuing.

Link is curious though. “Someone you…?”

Sidon shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay, you can’t start to give some opinion you have of me and then stop halfway,” Link complains, frowning. “That’s like if you get a fish out of the water, but then you put it back in before taking it off the hook.”

“Trust me, it’d just make things between us really weird,” Sidon assures him, tucking his knees in and bringing his chin down.

“Things between us _are_ weird, Sidon. Why would something you say change what I think about you?”

Sidon pauses.

_Huh. I guess if he doesn’t like me already, it’s not like me saying I like him is gonna change what he thinks of me._

But still, it’s hard for Sidon to speak.

Link looks out over the water, his windswept hair brilliant in the evening sun. “Do you remember? This is where we first met.”

“Of course I remember that,” Sidon says, turning his gaze to the water as well. “I had no idea what fishing was at the time.”

“Right,” Link says with a laugh. “I was definitely trying to ignore you at first. But you were so obnoxiously happy and red; it was impossible for me to focus on anything else.”

“Red? _That’s_ what caught your eye?” Sidon mumbles, his eyes twinkling.

Link shrugs. “I thought it was kinda cute.”

It’s at this point that Sidon becomes the reddest Zora that Link has ever seen.

“A-Anyway,” Link continues, looking away for a moment. “I don’t know what I was trying to say with this. Just… glad I met you, you know?”

Sidon feels incredibly warm, and the salty breeze isn’t helping him keep his temperature down, nor is the soft hand that’s now on Sidon’s shoulder. And the heat must be getting to his mind, because for a moment there, it sounded like Link had a crush on him. Which is ridiculous.

“Link, I--”

But he’s interrupted by Link’s lips, which are on his own. While Sidon’s eyes go unimaginably wide, he notices that Link’s are completely shut. 

_He… likes me?_

He doesn’t linger on that thought for long, though. Because he’s too focused on the beautiful, soft lips that he’s kissing. Sidon’s eyes finally close just like Link’s, and he’s close enough to smell the forest on Link’s skin. When they eventually part, Sidon sighs.

“I was gonna say _I love you_ , but I guess that’s kinda pointless now,” Sidon says with a pout.

Link laughs, before planting one more chaste kiss on Sidon’s cheek. “You’ve been dancing around those three words for _weeks_ , buddy.”

“Was I that obvious?” he whines, burying his head in Link’s shoulder.

“Sidon, you asked me to live with you a month ago.”

“I didn’t ask you to live with me!” Sidon protests. “I invited you to my domain!” He pauses. “Which, I guess could’ve been taken to mean I want you to live with me… Which I also wouldn’t really be opposed to, but--”

Link puts a finger to Sidon’s lips. “Let’s just fish for a while, and then we can talk about all that later. Sound good?”

Sidon smiles. “Sounds wonderful.”


End file.
